The first thing you notice about PHX is the Skyline or lack there of. This Would be awesome for A city of 250,000 but for a World Class City and Top 5 US, no way. What's exciting, is that the party's just starting. They can look at what other cities have done, discard that which does not work, and expand on that which has been successful. PHX is going to be onf FANTASTIC Place to be, and I for one can't wait. NOW BRING ON THOSE TOWERS. :scraper:

Don B.
Thanks for organizing your information so well on Phoenix projects. I hope many of these proposals will actually be built. I lived in Seattle for many years, then Denver for a few and I've lived here in the Phoenix area for just three years. For as large as Phoenix has become its skyline is certainly not impressive.
I have a question for you or anyone else. What exactly is the FAA building height restriction for downtown Phoenix. I've noticed that planes coming into Sky Harbor Airport pass very low over downtown.
Thanks,
Bob R.

I've been told that generally, the FAA height limit for downtown Phoenix is 500 feet. However, it is logical to assume that the limit goes down as you move east of Central Avenue, closer to the runways at Sky Harbor. Conversely, to the west of Central, the FAA would likely have less of a problem with a 500-700 foot tower, depending on where it is situated.

In addition, I've been told that the FAA cap only extends north as far as Roosevelt Street. I'm not sure if this is true or not.

In addition to the FAA restrictions, the City of Phoenix also has strict height limits. Generally, the entire city is around 56 feet tall, although high-rise zoning exists around much of the downtown and midtown cores along Central Avenue. I think, in Phoenix, anything over 250 feet requires extensive neighborhood meetings and a variance granted by the city. Some areas around the Biltmore have special 140-foot zoning in place.

__________________"Then each time Fleetwood would be not so much overcome by remorse as bedazzled at having been shown the secret backlands of wealth, and how sooner or later it depended on some act of murder, seldom limited to once."

W Hotels Worldwide is part of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. hotel management chain. Starwood owns Sheraton as well. Based on this site, I think Marriott is a completely separate company:

In other news, a 39-story, 450-foot hotel+residential tower has been announced today by the owners of the Phoenix Suns. The hotel will be a W Hotel, and is slated to open by 2008 next to America West Arena in downtown Phoenix.

__________________"Then each time Fleetwood would be not so much overcome by remorse as bedazzled at having been shown the secret backlands of wealth, and how sooner or later it depended on some act of murder, seldom limited to once."

^ This isn't new news. Phoenix has always had a 500 foot cap over downtown because of the FAA.

Downtown Phoenix sits at an altitude of about 1,090 feet above MSL (mean sea level). The FAA has the lower emergency flight path restriction for flights coming to or from the west, where downtown sits, at 1,600 MSL. Hence, the so-called cap. I know this because on my recent helicopter trip over downtown Phoenix, the pilot was warned to stay below 1,600 MSL as he flew under the flight paths at Sky Harbor.

Understand that the planes are actually much higher than this when they pass over downtown, but this emergency issue is so pilots have a chance to recover, especially if they lose an engine on takeoff.

Phoenix could approve zoning for a taller tower, but the fear is that the FAA would then limit the weight of planes on takeoff, especially during the hot summer months, and that could adversely affect the airlines and the airport, which is considered Phoenix's golden goose.

Note that further north along Central, theoretically the FAA wouldn't care how tall a building was, so Phoenix still could get a 600 to 700 footer someday, assuming the lunimbys didn't kill it.